To Be Known

27 Jun

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. ~Psalm 139:3

We had talked about familiarity on the ride home. “Why is it that when you first start dating your mate those butterfly tingly feelings are there but as your progress in your marriage relationship they come and go?” This after he put his hand on my leg.

For me it seemed a dangerous question to ask Ron. Like saying hey, I don’t get all warm and fuzzy when we hold hands (although it is something I like very much). He responded that it is because we are familiar with each other.

I awoke the next morning thinking about our conversation and the above words of Psalm 139. God is familiar with all my ways and the level to which I can continue to know Him is never ending. As I come to know more of Christ and become familiar with His teachings and His ways there is always more to be learned. Similarly in my marriage relationship, although I am familiar with Ron and he with me, we are changing and growing so that there is always something more to know and discover.

Awaking with Psalm 139 on my mind and these thoughts racing through my head, I knew it was impossible to return to sleep so I gave in and awoke to some early morning reading. Here is what I read:

That ache in your heart to be known by and to truly know one man was placed in you to be a revelation of a much deeper love. When you are in intimate physical and emotional communion with your husband, it will be a mere picture of the passionate love of a God who has been seeking your heart since before you were born. ~ Dannah Gresh, What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex 

In Psalm 139 we read of how God knows us. The Hebrew word for know in this case is yada. Yes, like yada, yada, yada, blah, blah,blah! Yada is a verb which means to know, to be known, to be deeply respected. In Dannah’s book she reveals how this verb is used to describe how God knows us and also how a husband knows a wife in their physical, spiritual, and emotional union.

I knew the the Bible is full of references to Christ loving the church as his bride and how a husband should love his wife as Christ loves the church, but yada?, that was new to me.

In, What Are You Waiting For?, Dannah teaches about Christ’s intentions for marriage and the physical union in marriage. She addresses purity from all angles presenting the facts on such issues as premarital sex, pornography, self pleasing, and homosexuality. This is a must read for parents, students, and singles of all ages. These are topics that we must address with our young people or the world will address it for them contrary to the ways of Christ.

In aiming to restore godly marriages in our culture and for the continuity of the church this is an important read.

See Dannah talk about the book in her FOX News interview here.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to read what is written here!

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The Desire for Holiness

20 Jun

Red velvet cake…perfection on a plate.

For two days I gazed at the red layers tempted by their sugary goodness-like no other to my taste buds I might add- and desired to eat more and more until it was gone. However, I had resolved not to eat anymore of this type food for a set amount of days.  As I studied the red and white layers, knowing the richness that awaited in one bite, I thought, “This is a perfect picture of temptation.”

Josh and Emily-0049

I could have silently eaten of a sliver but God would have known that I was breaking my vow. What good is a vow that is broken? Aren’t the sins we commit in the hidden places the ones that haunt our psyches the most?

I will not eat of you but I will look at you, imagine eating you, and smell you once or twice.

That which tempts us promises a quick return but a length of days to undo…that is if redemption is an option. Some disobedience ends in a final verdict: an unwanted or terminated pregnancy, killing a person while driving intoxicated, loss of property you have gambled away.

I addressed this temptation the only way that I know how to with 100% success: I took it to my husband’s workplace for others to eat!

This post said it so well, our sin affects more than a party of one. It snowballs to all who follow us, depend on us, and look to us with some degree of respect. If so, then the counter must be true as well:

Our holiness not only protects the direction of our lives, it also extends to the lives of our family, friends, community and therefore the world.

How holy do we truly desire to be? Holy enough, or to the standard of God’s word? Will we obey all His commands or will we obey… enough?

The apostle John said, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin” (1 John 2:1). The whole purpose of John’s letter, he says, is that we not sin. One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life’s objective regarding holiness was less than that of John’s. He was saying, in effect, “Make it your aim not to sin.” As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my heart my real aim was not to sin very much. I found it difficult to say, “Yes, Lord, from here on I will make it my aim not to sin.”

Yet if we have not made a commitment to holiness without exception, we are like a soldier going into battle with the aim of not getting hit very much. We can be sure if that is our aim, we will be hit — not with bullets, but with temptation over and over again.

~Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness (emphasis mine)

If I am being honest with myself, there is a limit to the level of holiness that I presently pursue… that I desire.  How to rectify this? Well, sending “it” to my husband’s workplace is not always an option! Here are some others to employ:

  1. Prayer. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give you the desire to seek holiness and the power to live a holy life.
  2. Scripture memory. Dr. Walp taught us about making memories which are set apart. (Read his post here.) We must have God’s word in our heart so that the Holy Spirit will call scriptures to mind in order for us to make wise and holy choices.
  3. Practice discipline and self-control. This requires 1. and 2.
By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.  ~ 1 John 2 5b-6

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Pursuing the Holiness of Christ

13 Jun

John Owen said that sin carries on its war by entangling our affections (desires) and drawing them away. Hence, said Owen, denying sin must be chiefly directed on the affections. We must make sure our desires are directed toward glorifying God, he said, and not on satisfying the lusts of our bodies.

~The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges (emphasis mine)

In everything Christ did he acted with the mind of glorifying His Father in heaven. How very different would our lives look if every motive behind our actions was fueled with pursuing glory for the name of Jesus Christ? That each morning as our feet hit the floor our prayer would be, “Father show me how to most glorify you today. Let my thoughts and actions align with Your will. Let the glory that I would seek for myself quickly be repented of and pursue instead the glory for Your name.”

In fact, the more we grow in holiness, the more we need assurance that the perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to us. This is true because a part of growing in holiness is the Holy Spirit’s making us aware of our need of holiness.

The Holy Spirit makes us more aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to deeper yearning and striving for holiness. But Satan will attempt to use the Holy Spirit’s work to discourage us.

~The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges (emphasis mine)

The desire to pursue holiness arises from an awareness of our sin and its ultimate act against the holy God. Our sin is most offensive to God yet its ramifications reaches beyond mere acquaintances.

This is why marriage, the picture of Christ and His bride, the church, is more important than our present culture would have us believe.

julie wedding

In Pursuing the Pearl: The Quest for a Pure, Passionate Marriage by Dannah Gresh she proposes that the purpose of our marriage is not to make us happy but to make us holy.

Don’t miss this.

The purpose of my marriage is to make me holy.

Know this, my friend. Satan knows all too well that the most powerful portrait of Christ’s passion is a pure and holy marriage. As Christians continue to misuse sex and succumb to divorce, the whole world comes to understand less of who God is because we understand less of His love as it was meant for us to know it within a faithful, loving, passionate marriage.

~Pursuing the Pearl: The Quest for a Pure, Passionate Marriage

In the pursuit of holiness we must not look at our brothers and sisters, those of this world or of the family of God, as the enemy. This most definitely includes our spouses. The true enemy of our holiness and of Christ Jesus is Satan.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

~Ephesians 6:12-13

The sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ on the cross covers our sins and makes us holy before God. His part is completed our portion is left to pursue.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday. What about you?

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30 Days Til Foreign Soil

6 Jun

 

This is our Compasion child who lives in Honduras.

This is our Compasion child who lives in Honduras.

With nearly four years since my last foreign mission trip my soul is surely in need of a reminding. A call to remember that though my surroundings may be plush and pleasant many live in poverty of spirit, soul, and body.

Thirty days from today I will be making the frightening landing in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I will be traveling with a team of around 30 members to build homes for three homeless families in conjunction with Student Ministry Essentials. The people who will occupy theses dwellings will be moving into their first home off the streets or out of the capitol city trash dump for the first time in their lives.

“Lord, thank you for the roof over my head.”

That was the prayer of one of the young men who moved into a home that our team built last year. Grown men wept or nearly wept over this prayer of thanksgiving as they considered how little we thank God for daily. Most likely not the roof over our heads or the mattresses we lie down on.

Matt, our team leader for the this trip, gave the team a 30 day scripture reading to prepare our hearts and minds for our mission. Today’s reading is Psalm 51. You can read it in its’ entirety here.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Psalm 51:10-13

Please join me in praying that my heart and that of my teammates would be renewed and made right before God. Pray that we will have the joy of the Lord’s salvation restored to us that we may teach transgressors His ways and that sinners will return to Him.

I spoke earlier of the gratitude of the people we served. This year we are seeking to do more…

We would like to leave the families with more to be grateful for than four walls and a roof over their head. We would like to leave them with furnished homes.

If you or someone you know would like to donate to furnishing the three homes that we are building with mattresses, sheets, and basic household necessities please make your checks payable to Student Ministry Essentials and write Honduras Furnishings in the for line. Then mail your check to the following address:  Student Ministry Essentials  3616 Harden Blvd.  Suite #362  Lakeland, FL 33803. We have received $400.00 to date with an expected balance remaining of $1,100 to make three furnished homes a reality. This is a cost of $500 per household.

To read more about what encompasses our mission please click here.

Psalm 51 is what I am reading this Wednesday. What about you?

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What I Am Reading Wednesday

30 May

I had hoped to be finished with the Narnia series by Sunday but alas my pace slowed when we went out of town. So I am enjoying another week with Aslan; currently in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Please forgive me, or thank me, I am keeping it short today as I have run two 5K’s, biked 10 miles, and swam a bit already this week. In other words, I need a nap today!

I finished up Kelli Minter’s, The Fitting Room:Putting on the Character of Christ. It was a good read. I found her insight on forgiveness and humility to be among the best teaching I have read.

After reading, “Why I am Not Reading Fifty Shades of Grey,” I ordered two of Dannah Gresh’s books and began reading, Pursuing the Pearl:The Quest for a Pure, Passionate Marriage. It is a very insightful read thus far on marriage and the pursuit of purity within it. I will tell you more when I am finished.

Yesterday I bought this book for 1.99 on Amazon special. I could not resist a title and preface like this one offered. Check it out and let me know what you think. It will be a few weeks before I start this read…I might be going at a snails pace.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday. What about you?

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What I Am Reading Wednesday

23 May

Occasionally the timing is wrong for reading certain books. That was the situation when I began reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a tween. I was unable to get into the story. Perhaps then as I was initially now wondering why a witch was in-between the covers and on the pages of a Christian children’s book? Either way, the author C.S. Lewis perfectly summarized my situation when he penned the dedication to the second book(the order of publication and chronology differ) in the Narnia series, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe:

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather,

C. S. Lewis

I find that I am once again old enough to start reading fairy tales. This week I began reading The Chronicles of Narnia and have read three books in three days. I hope that Sunday evening will find me turning the last page in the final book in the Narnia series.

The biblical lessons, apologetics, and wisdom that C.S. Lewis crafted into his stories is remarkable. It is no wonder why these books continue to garner new readers each year.

I will no doubt be watching these movies when I am finished.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday. What are you reading? When were you first introduced to the Chronicles of Narnia?

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3 Literaray Life Lessons for Your Preschooler

16 May

If you are new to What I Am Reading Wednesday’s then welcome! Each Wednesday I highlight one or a few books that are being read in our home. This week we will take a look at the children’s bookshelf.

When reading to a child of any age it is important to reflect on what can be learned and applied in real life from the text. For young children, this task should be prompted and directed by the parents.  I hope you will find these three selections entertaining tales to assist you as your train your child in the way he should go. After each book I have listed some comprehension questions because the speech-language pathologist in me simply cannot resist!

“I don’t like onions.” “I don’t like beans.” “I don’t like meatloaf.” If your children share these sentiments then D.W. The Picky Eater provides a wonderful platform for your child to sample new foods. Perhaps you could choose a dish that is new to you as well. Shouldn’t all be fair in cuisine?

  1. How did D.W. avoid trying new foods or eating foods she disliked?
  2. What was the consequence of D.W.’s tantrum in the restaurant?
  3. What did D.W. eat at home while her family went out for dinner?
  4. What new food did D.W. try at the restaurant? How did she like it?
  5. Do you think D.W. will try more new foods in the future? Will you? Why or why not?

The transition from preschooler to kindergartner involves many changes including the laying down of what Emily and Joshua affectionately refer to as “lovies.” Owen desperately wants to keep his “fuzzy” but his all-knowing neighbor is quite happy providing multiple suggestions to dispose of his comforting blanket. This delightful story is a great example for your preschooler that he is not alone in laying down some habits as he grows. 

  1. How did Owen keep the “Blanket Fairy” from taking his fuzzy?
  2. Who was Owen’s neighbor?
  3. How did Owen feel about his fuzzy?
  4. How did Owen’s mom disguise his fuzzy so that he could keep it in kindergarten?
  5. How did you feel when you gave up your “fuzzy”?

I meant what I said and I said what I meant an elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent!~Horton, Horton Hatches the Egg

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or “No’; anything more than this comes from evil. ~Matthew 5:37

Honesty and integrity are character traits that all good parents hope to instill in their children. Horton Hatches the Egg is a wonderful tale that introduces these traits as well as parallels them with lazy Mayzie in this classic Dr. Seuss book.

  1. Why didn’t Mayzie want to stay on her egg in her nest?
  2. What was the weather like while Horton sat on the nest?
  3. How did the animals and hunters act when they saw Horton the elephant sitting on a nest?
  4. Would you rather have a friend like Horton or Mayzie? Why? What kind of friend would you like to be?

Thank you for stopping in for a visit! What are you reading this week?

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Hunger Games

9 May

“How many of you have read The Hunger Games?” About 20% of over 100 middle school students in our ministry raise their hand. Ron questions further, “How many of you have seen the movie?” Ninety percent or more of the students raise their hand.

At this point I am so glad that I purchased the book at Wal-Mart. What movement or story could engross a generation like the Hunger Games appears to?

A very well written story packed with action, romance, and a girl on fire. That is the story that has captured the attention of our young people and adults both men and women alike.

Once I read chapter five in the first book in the Hunger Games series I was hooked. I completed all three books in roughly six days and have contemplated the story line for a few weeks more.

image via Google images

Written by Suzanne Collins and targeted for young adults ages 12 and up, the topics covered in the books range from youth murder in a survival of the fittest scenario, politics/government rule, death, suicide, reality television, and the list goes on.

I originally read the first book, Hunger Games, to be culturally relevant.  However, the second and third books: Catching Fire and Mockingjay were read due to absolute takeover of my psyche. I was both unable and unwilling to put these books down. When I did return to everyday tasks, my thoughts continued to return to the country and events of Panema.

Here is a link to a video interview conducted after the release of the first book, The Hunger Games, by Scholastic Books. Especially intriguing was the origination of the idea for the plot of the book. Scholastic Books 2008 interview with Suzanne Collins bestselling author of the Hunger Games Triliogy

Additionally, in the case that you are the parent of a middle school student or a young adult reader yourself, I am listing 8 discussion questions that I hope you will utilize to critically digest this well written series through the lens of a Christian worldview. A special thanks to Ron for his co-collaboration on these questions.

Oh, by the way, go team Peeta!

1. Why are we attracted to the make-believe?

2. What’s our fascination with watching people die through the centuries? (E.g. Gladiators in the Roman Empire.)

3. Is entertainment one of the things that blind us from our life’s purposes? Further, is entertainment one of Satan’s most effective tools to distract us? Is the most effective tool Satan has in his arsenal against Christians today – a distraction?

4. In the book and movie, Peeta says, “I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into something that I’m not. I’m sure I’ll kill just like everyone else…only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me, that I’m more than just a piece in their Games. If I’m going to die, I want to still be me.” Are we guilty of allowing our culture to change us? If so, in what ways has it changed you? For good or for ill?

5. What happens when the law of the land contradicts the Bible? See Romans 13:1-7, Luke 20:25, and Acts 5:27-29.

6. No religion or belief in any higher being is mentioned in either the books or movie. Why do you think this is? Which worldview says that man is the ultimate being?

7.  Choose one or two characters and list character strengths and weaknesses. What would you like to emulate in your own life that lines up with Biblical practices? What characteristics of even your favorite characters were flawed?

8. Throughout each book, Katniss is treated by a prep team which makes her look her best. In the first book Katniss is to the point where she does not mind her stylist seeing her naked body. Conversely, she does not feel comfortable seeing Peeta’s body when she is treating his wounds during the games. What is your modesty level? How has the media and what you set before your eyes on a television screen and in places you visit affected the way you approach varying levels of modesty or the lack thereof? What does the Bible have to say about purity and the clothes we wear?

If you have read or seen the Hunger Games, what was your take away and overall impression?

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Please Call Me Laura

18 Apr

It has happened. Emily is asking for a bonnet and has discussed calling me “Ma.” Today the ultimate in Little House fever, “Please call me Laura.”

I thought author, Wendy McLure, in  The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie may have overstated her love of all things Laura. However, after listening to my little girl pine to be Laura’s friend I understood the praises of Ms. McLure’s work. Full disclosure, I returned her book to the library unread as 12 other books by Laura Ingalls Wilder presently grace my shelves…or should I say tables; I ran out of shelf space long ago.

Here is a sampling of Laura’s titles that I would recommend for those wanting to further their acquaintance with Mrs. Wilder:

Thank you Mrs. Wilder for gracing What I Am Reading Wednesday the last few weeks. It has been a pleasure to rediscover why your books richly enhanced my own childhood.

On other shelves…

I finished up Kiss Me Like You Mean It: Solomon’s Crazy in Love How-To Manual by Dr. David Clarke and highly recommend this quick and easy read to all married couples looking to fan the flame of their first love. If only for the kissing boost alone. I think Ron would recommend this book as well and he has yet to read it. 😉

Last night I downloaded two ebooks that are free for a short time.

After reading two chapters I foresee this as a wise read for those who are already 30+ and most assuredly for the 18 and over crowd. If you are in the 30 to 40 range perhaps you would considerHow to Ruin Your Life By 40 as a better alternative.

The InCourage ladies, Angie and Jessica, completed a videoed book club on The Fitting Room with the author, Kelly Minter, which you can view here. I am confident this resource will be a welcome accompaniment to your individual reading.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday. What about you?

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The Books I Carried With Me

11 Apr

Sometimes I marvel which childhood bents will carryover to adulthood.

For me, the love of a good book is probably foremost.

I remember one occasion where I alphabetized my home library. I must have been in third or fourth grade. Perhaps I also instituted a check-out operation, though for whom I cannot say.

My love of reading was birthed in part by my third grade best friend, Holly M. Holly challenged me to complete my homework before school was dismissed each day, eat mustard and ketchup with french fries, and to read for fun. My first grade teacher, who also happens to be my mother, made sure that I read and was read to daily…even during the summer. However, a peer modeling such good study habits truly challenged me and changed me for the better.

Outside of a dog a book is man’s best. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx

The first book that clicked with me I checked out from my school library. The name of the text has long eluded me. For years I looked in the same corner of the little school library for the book with the girl and the wagon wheel on the front only to be evaded.

It is of little importance what the book was or even its content. What matters is that the love of reading and learning was unlocked. Perhaps it had been evident to my parents earlier than it was manifested to myself.

Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep, for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as the latter. Paxton Hood

My mother loves thrift and antique stores. One particular store in our community we would frequent monthly. As my mother rummaged through piles and shelves and rows of china, nick-knacks, and furniture. My sister would look for antique keys. I was found digging through treasure troves of books. The hardcover, yellow paged volumes were my favorite. Black Beauty, Little Women, Nancy Drew, and Old Yeller soon became reading companions which I have kept.

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house. Henry Ward Beecher

Today, our home library exceeds the shelf space allotted. Now as then, I continue to find searching used classic and modern volumes therapeutic. Many childish ways I left behind, but the books I carried with me.

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.”  Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

In honor of romancing our children with the love of reading, this week I will highlight the children’s reads:

For some time, I have been referring to Emily as flutterbudget or half-pint as Pa does Laura. Each time Emily replies, “I am not flugerbuget, my dad calls me Sport!”  She tells me her “brudder“ (brother) is Champ and she is Sport. Glad we have that settled!

That is what we are reading this Wednesday. What about you, how did you first fall in love with literature?

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